..::Football IV::..

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Man Utd secure best winning away run in more than six years


Manchester United are on their best run of away form in over six years after beating Leicester City 1-0 on Sunday.The victory means the Red Devils have now won five away games in a row, a feat they had not managed since October 2012 when Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge at Old Trafford.

Premier League wins against Cardiff City, Newcastle and Tottenham, in addition to the FA Cup third-round scalp of Arsenal, make up the rest of the latest run of victories on the road.

Marcus Rashford's ninth-minute goal at King Power Stadium clinched the win over Leicester and also ensured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has now gone unbeaten in his first 10 games as caretaker boss.

The Norwegian has already made the most successful start of any United manager in history after winning all of his first eight games in charge, dropping points only to Burnley in a 2-2 draw at home after his side came from 2-0 down in the dying minutes.

Solskjaer has turned things around after a dire start to the season under Jose Mourinho.When he took over in December, United were languishing in sixth place and with an eight-point gap to fifth-placed Arsenal.

Not only has Solskjaer established a slim lead over Unai Emery's team – the Red Devils were a point ahead of the Gunners before Unai Emery's side kicked off at Manchester City later on Sunday – he has also got to within just two points of fourth-placed Chelsea. That remarkable turnaround means that United now have a good chance of competing for Champions League qualification this season.

However, it is unlikely United will match Ferguson's side of 2012-13 which went on to win the Premier League title by 11 points, beating rivals City who finished second. Indeed, some of the Red Devils' most tricky challenges could still lie ahead with a tough run of fixtures in February.

After a trip to Fulham next week, they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Chelsea in the FA Cup before games against Liverpool and Crystal Palace at the back end of the month.

 

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Hazard: Higuain is unbelievable, Chelsea can beat anyone


Eden Hazard believes Chelsea fans should expect a lot more goals from new recruit Gonzalo Higuain and feels that he and his team-mates can beat anyone 'if they want to'.The striker netted for the first time since joining the Blues in their 5-0 win against Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

Higuain opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge with an excellent first-time finish in the 16th minute, before adding a second later through a curling effort from the edge of the box.

It was no surprise for Hazard, who has seen firsthand what the former Napoli man can do in training, and he believes Chelsea have added a top quality finisher to their ranks.“He's a great striker,” Hazard told Chelsea TV.“He's a bit less of a target man than (Olivier) Giroud, but he can hold the ball, he can play one touches and he's intelligent.

"In the box he's unbelievable. He will score more goals.”The Belgian himself notched a brace in the victory, meaning he has now scored 15 in all competitions this campaign.They were also Hazard’s 11th and 12th strikes in the Premier League this year and the 28-year-old looks set to break his previous record of 16 league goals two seasons ago.

It was a welcome return to winning ways for Chelsea, who had lost their two Premier League games, including a remarkable 4-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth on Wednesday night.While the Blues' form has been patchy of late, Hazard hopes they can continue their winning run next week when Chelsea travel to the Etihad to face Manchester City.

The London club ended City’s unbeaten start to the campaign when they met in December, and Chelsea’s No.10 believes they can do the double over the champions.“It's going to be a different game than two or three months ago,” said Hazard.

"I think they will have the ball. City have these kinds of players to play together. We will defend well and then we will score one goal or two.”Chelsea also face City in the final of the League Cup later in February, as well as a tricky fifth-round FA Cup tie with Manchester United, but Hazard is relishing these tough tests.

"We need to be focused. This month is going to be hard, but we are Chelsea. We can beat everyone if we want.”

 

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Unstoppable and untouchable – Rashford is Man Utd’s King yet again as dream run goes on


Another Ole Gunnar Solskjaer win , another Marcus Rashford goal. There are new inevitabilities about Manchester United these days, and their 1-0 victory at Leicester City on Sunday had the 21-year-old front man’s fingerprints all over it.

The 2-2 draw with Burnley on Tuesday which marked the first dropped points of Solskjaer’s caretaker regime demanded an immediate response, and it was Rashford who took it upon himself to lead from the front. Having been returned to the centre of attack in the place of Romelu Lukaku, the England man staked his latest claim to be considered as United’s first-choice centre-forward.

He had already missed a glorious chance before his ninth-minute opener, heading over at the far post from a delicious left-wing cross by Luke Shaw. But he was as clinical as they come when converting a brilliant chipped pass from Paul Pogba, taking the lofted ball down with his first touch before sweeping past Kasper Schmeichel with aplomb.

It was his eighth goal in his last 13 matches, and a sixth in eight starts under Solskjaer. He would go on to have many more chances, with five of United’s seven efforts at goal before Rashford was substituted coming from their number 10.He was replaced for the final 12 minutes by Lukaku but whereas there was a time when the Belgian was the undisputed number nine for Jose Mourinho, Rashford is becoming untouchable in the main striker’s position for Solskjaer.

He has become far more clinical of late, has displayed a coolness in front of goal which had previously undermined his claims to the starting role, and most importantly now has a manager who doesn’t demand a back-to-goal element to the job above all else.

Elsewhere there was another frustrating performance from Alexis Sanchez as he played way short of the pace of the game after being selected ahead of Anthony Martial. But there were encouraging displays by Shaw and, as ever, David de Gea as he made acrobatic saves to keep out Jamie Vardy and Rachid Ghezzal during the second half as the hosts caused United a few skipped heartbeats.
On the down side, his dynamite pass for Rashford’s goal apart, Pogba was far from his best while Nemanja Matic could easily have been sent off and United struggled to dominate the flow of the play as a result. This was by no means United’s most convincing performance since the Norwegian arrived in mid-December.But in Rashford they have a centre-forward who is fit and firing, and suits his manager’s approach to football down to the ground. He is someone who, given the right kind of service, will do the business.

And with nine wins in 10 matches since Mourinho’s sacking, United are all about taking care of business right now.

 

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Lyon 2 Paris Saint-Germain 1: Fekir penalty ends PSG's unbeaten run

Paris Saint-Germain's unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season is over after the league leaders suffered a 2-1 defeat to Lyon on Sunday.

The defending champions, who were without star man Neymar due to injury, had won 18 games and drawn two prior to their visit to the Groupama Stadium, but they were handed their first loss thanks to goals from Moussa Dembele and Nabil Fekir.When Angel Di Maria opened the scoring early it looked like a familiar story, however Lyon were writing their own script and dominated the opening period.

They got their reward through Dembele just after the half hour, and Fekir's penalty secured the three points – Lyon defending resolutely to cling on to a memorable victory.
It took PSG seven minutes to open the scoring, although they were grateful to some sloppy play from Houssem Aouar 30 yards from his own goal.Aouar was caught in possession by the lively Draxler, the German racing towards the Lyon penalty area before laying it on a plate for Di Maria to score his fifth of the campaign.Lyon quickly found some composure but Alphonse Areola was in fine form, the PSG keeper pulling off a string of fine saves to deny Bertrand Traore, Fekir and Memphis Depay.

For all his good work, it was an Areola mistake that enabled Lyon to restore parity, Dembele able to beat the goalkeeper to Leo Dubois' right-wing cross and head home from close range.Di Maria saw a late chance cleared off the line by Jason Denayer - earning him a hug from Anthony Lopes - and it proved decisive as Lyon took the lead soon after the restart.

Three minutes into the second half Fekir was gifted a chance from 12 yards after Dembele had been fouled by Thiago Silva, the forward making no mistake with the penalty as he sent Areola the wrong way.

The goal sparked PSG into life and they laid siege on the Lyon goal but Lopes proved a formidable opponent, making key three sharp saves to deny Kylian Mbappe as the hosts hung on.

 

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Roma 1 AC Milan 1: Donnarumma frustrates hosts

Gianluigi Donnarumma produced an inspired display as AC Milan claimed a 1-1 draw at Roma to maintain their place in Serie A's top four and heap further pressure on Eusebio Di Francesco.Milan were second best for much of Sunday's match at Stadio Olimpico, but their 19-year-old goalkeeper made vital saves in both halves to help secure a valuable point which keeps them above their opponents in the table.

Krzysztof Piatek scored twice against Napoli in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday in his maiden Milan start, and marked the first time he has been named in Gennaro Gattuso's league XI by netting a first-half opener.


Nicolo Zaniolo equalised for Roma just 22 seconds into the second half, but Donnarumma ensured the hosts could not get the morale-boosting result they needed after the 7-1 cup humiliation at the hands of Fiorentina on Wednesday.

Edin Dzeko cut inside and forced an early save from Donnarumma, but it was Milan who struck first in the 26th minute.Lucas Paqueta forced the opening by winning possession from Lorenzo Pellegrini down Milan's left and working well to get a cross into the box, with Piatek on hand to convert from six yards.

Donnarumma made an excellent one-handed stop to deny Zaniolo, and soon after produced more heroics to keep out both Patrik Schick's header and also Dzeko's attempt to convert the rebound just before half-time.

Roma did find an equaliser with their first attack after the restart, however. Zaniolo volleyed in from two yards after Donnarumma had kept out what would have been an own goal from Mateo Musacchio, Rick Karsdorp's cross having caused defensive chaos. At the other end, Suso had a penalty claim denied when he was bundled over by Aleksandar Kolarov but Roma were looking the most likely, with Donnarumma to the fore again to block a Dzeko header.

The last big opportunity saw Pellegrini send a looping header against the post after Kolarov's cross, before the Roma midfielder was fortunate to avoid a second yellow card for fouling Suso.

 

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Real Madrid 3 Deportivo Alaves 0: Benzema hot streak continues in home win

Karim Benzema continued his scoring streak as he netted for the sixth time in four games to help Real Madrid cruise to a 3-0 victory over Deportivo Alaves on Sunday.

The Frenchman struck after 30 minutes of a one-sided contest at Santiago Bernabeu where Gareth Bale made his first start overcoming a calf injury but Vinicius Junior stole the show, including scoring his side's second.It was the 18-year-old who unlocked the Alaves defence with a killer pass in the build-up to Benzema's opener, and he converted Marco Asensio's low cross to double Madrid's advantage 10 minutes from time.

Substitute Mariano Diaz added a late third as Madrid moved to within two points of second-placed Atletico - who lost 1-0 away at Real Betis earlier in the day - in the table after a fourth consecutive win in LaLiga.
Guillermo Maripan's error almost allowed Dani Ceballos to open the scoring after three minutes but his shot deflected over the bar, while Benzema curled an effort narrowly wide from just inside the box moments later.Vinicius slalomed through the Alaves defence before stinging the palms of Fernando Pacheco with a shot from 15 yards before playing a key role in the first goal.

The Brazilian teenager had the vision to see Sergio Reguilon's run and played him in behind the Alaves defence, with the defender sending over a low cross that Benzema side-footed into the net.Ruben Duarte volleyed a rare Alaves chance wide from an acute angle at the start of the second half before Bale tested Pacheco with a low drive at the other end.

Santiago Solari replaced Bale and Benzema with Mariano and Asensio in the final half-hour and the latter's centre bounced through the Alaves box to the feet of Vinicius, who calmly provided the finish.

Alvaro Odriozola was denied a goal by an offside decision but did set up Mariano in additional time, the forward's firm header wrapping up a thoroughly convincing win for the hosts in the Spanish capital.

 

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Sala's plane found following search for missing striker


The plane that was carrying Emiliano Sala was found in the English Channel on Sunday morning, following a two-week search for the aircraft that was carrying the missing footballer.

Sala was aboard the Piper Malibu aircraft on January 22 as he flew from Nantes to Wales after completing a £15m ($19.8m) transfer to Cardiff City.The Argentine had flown back to France to say goodbye to his team-mates and, on his way back to England, the plane carrying the forward and pilot David Ibbotson dissapeared from radar close to the Channel Islands.

The plane was located following an extensive search of the area with a search boat positively identifying the aircraft after discovery on Sunday.
Marine scientist David Mearns led the search on Sunday and confirmed that the plane was located and that families were notified by police.

"Wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala and piloted by David Ibbotson was located early this morning by the FPV MORVEN. As agreed with the AAIB they moved the GEO OCEAN III over the position we provided them to visually identify the plane by ROV."

The families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson have been notified by Police. The AAIB will be making a statement tomorrow. Tonight our sole thoughts are with the families and friends of Emiliano and David.

A futher statement is expected on Monday.Initial search and recovery efforts were called off three days after the flight diseappeared, but the search was then resumed after Sala's family raised funds to continue the efforts.

A target of €300,000 (£260k/$342k) was met on a GoFundMe page after the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and president of Argentina Mauricio Macri spoke out to continue the search.

Sala joined Nantes in 2015 after previously featuring for Orleans, Niort and Caen, and the forward went on to make 132 appearances for the club while scoring 48 goals.

After a scoring 13 goals across all competitions to start the season with Nantes, Sala became Cardiff’s record signing when he was acquired by Neil Warnock’s side in January.

 

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Barclays Premier League Fixture 2019.02.04

Barclays Premier League Fixture 2019.02.04

West Ham Vs Liverpool

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LA Liga Fixture 2019.02.04

LA Liga Fixture 2019.02.04

Rayo Vallecano Vs Leganes
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Serie A Fixtures 2019.02.04

Serie A Fixtures 2019.02.04

Frosione Vs Lazio

Cagliari Vs Atalanta
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West Ham 1 Liverpool 1: Antonio equaliser opens door to chasing City

Liverpool missed the chance to move five points clear of Manchester City again at the top of the Premier League as Michail Antonio's equaliser meant they were held to a 1-1 draw away to West Ham.

Jurgen Klopp's side went in front through Sadio Mane at London Stadium on Monday, although the goal should have been disallowed for a clear offside in the build-up.But Antonio quickly levelled for the Hammers, with his fourth career goal against Liverpool leaving the league leaders just three points clear of chasing City, who had defeated Arsenal 3-1 the previous day.

And the result could have been even worse for the Reds, Declan Rice wasting a free header shortly before the interval, although substitute Divock Origi almost won it in added time.

Javier Hernandez wasted two good early chances as Liverpool started poorly, but they took the lead in controversial circumstances in the 22nd minute.Brilliant skill from Adam Lallana found James Milner, who cut the ball back for Mane to finish well, but replays showed the makeshift right-back was offside when he received the pass.

West Ham equalised within six minutes, though. Felipe Anderson caught out the Liverpool defence with a smartly taken free-kick, sliding a low pass into the right channel for Antonio, who shrugged off Naby Keita and drilled a fine finish across Alisson and in off the post.

Rice and Issa Diop missed headed chances either side of half-time as Liverpool continued to defend set pieces poorly, while Mohamed Salah could not make the most of two second-half openings he created for himself.Hammers captain Mark Noble almost snatched all three points, his 73rd-minute drive flying narrowly over Alisson's goal.

But Origi could have settled matters in the 94th minute, the Belgian - a late hero against Everton at Anfield earlier in the campaign - firing straight at Lukasz Fabianski after Keita picked him out with a chipped pass, the flag staying down again despite the striker b offside position.

 

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Klopp confident Liverpool won't crack under City pressure despite injuries


Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists the Premier League leaders will not crack under the pressure of being chased by Manchester City.Monday's 1-1 draw away to West Ham meant the Reds missed the chance to move five points clear of last season's champions City, who can now go top on Wednesday if they win at Everton.

City last topped the table on December 15 but Liverpool drawing their past two matches has opened the door to Pep Guardiola's side, while Tottenham have sealed three consecutive dramatic late league wins under Mauricio Pochettino to rejoin the title race.

Liverpool were without Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren and Trent Alexander-Arnold for the trip to London Stadium, where a lead earned by Sadio Mane was cancelled out by Michail Antonio in the first half.

The Reds' opener should not have counted due to an offside in the build-up and Liverpool were well below their best, but Klopp does not feel the pressure exerted by City will affect his side.

"Yes, I'm confident about that," Klopp told a news conference when asked if he feels Liverpool will not crack. "I think since five, six, seven, eight weeks we talk about a two-horse race now and Tottenham came from behind.

"They had a very difficult situation and deal with it brilliantly, I have to say, all credit to Pochettino and his team how they did it, winning games late with a lot of injury problems as well. For me, they are 100 per cent in the race. So that's the situation.

"If you want to be top of the table at the end of the season then you have to deal with much tougher situations than we had today, that's the truth. Of course you need players fit and available, that helps a bit.

"Our midfield players tonight apart from Shaq [Xherdan Shaqiri] would have been 18 and 18 years old - brilliant boys and if needed we would have played them tonight but that's not perfect. We have to fight. It's not about pressure, it's about enjoying the situation you are in.

"We have 62 points, lost one game in the full season so far, which is very positive. But I see your faces already, you feel a bit sorry for us - you don't have to, we are fine, everything is good."Tonight was just a tough game but if you have a day like that with the things that happened yesterday and then you get a point at West Ham, for me that's absolutely fine."

Liverpool had teenagers Rafael Camacho and Curtis Jones on the bench at West Ham due to their injury issues and Klopp confirmed Virgil van Dijk and James Milner could have also missed the game due to a bug.

"We had a difficult situation," Klopp added. "It's a long season. In general, we lost one game in the whole season. So the team is doing well and we have a tough situation in the moment. The injuries, I don't know where they come from, or the illness.

"Millie was ill - or maybe still is ill - and Virg had three, four days where he was out. He lost three or four kilos. That doesn't help as well. You have difficult situations. It's difficult in the moment, but the boys still fight. Could we have played better, even in that situation? 100 per cent.

"That's what we expect from ourselves. But the games are difficult and we have to accept the quality of the opponent and use their weaknesses what they have. We did that in a lot of situations pretty well, but they reacted already with the line-up...

"I don't moan about that, it's just a fact. It's not an excuse, I said we could have played better tonight, 100 per cent. But it's a situation that's not perfect, changing three players. Millie came back but he did not train yesterday, he came to London by himself because he's infectious.

"That's all not perfect, of course. For me, it explains parts of the game but we don't look for these things. How I said, the preparation for the game was far from perfect and we still got a point! That's it."

 

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Body found amid Sala plane wreckage as search continues

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has confirmed one person is visible in the video footage of the wreckage of the plane that was carrying Emiliano Sala.

Sala and pilot David Ibbotson were the only people on board the plane that disappeared on its way from Nantes to Cardiff on January 21 after the 28-year-old said farewell to his former team-mates upon completing a £15m ($19.8m) transfer to Neil Warnock's team.The initial hunt for the aircraft was called off later that week, but it picked up again when thousands of people donated to a GoFundMe page set up to raise over €370,000 to fund an underwater search.

After seat cushions from the flight washed up on a beach in France last week, the plane was found in the English Channel on Sunday.And the AAIB confirmed the following day that a body has been spotted in early video footage.

"Early in the search, the Morven identified an object of interest on the seabed using its side-scan sonar equipment," a statement read. "It cleared the immediate area for the Geo Ocean III to use its underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to survey the area of the seabed in which the object was located. Based on analysis of ROV video footage, the AAIB investigators on board the vessel concluded that the object is wreckage from the missing Piper Malibu aircraft, registration N264DB."The ROV carried out a further search of the area overnight, but did not identify any additional pieces of wreckage.

"Tragically, in video footage from the ROV, one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage. The AAIB is now considering the next steps, in consultation with the families of the pilot and passenger, and the police."The image shows the rear left side of the fuselage including part of the aircraft registration."We intend to publish an interim report within one month of the accident occurring."

Tributes have been flowing in for the striker since his disappearance, with Nantes and Cardiff showing their respect during recent matches, while stars like Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero joined the calls for authorities to keep looking for his plane.

 

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Barcelona president Bartomeu: We'd talk to Madrid before making Isco move


Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed he would first speak to Real Madrid if the La Liga champions were interested in making a move for out-of-favour midfielder Isco.

Isco has been linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu as he struggles for game time under head coach Santiago Solari.The 26-year-old, who is contracted until 2022, has only made five league starts for Madrid this season, while coming off the bench 10 times.

He has been a regular in their Copa del Rey campaign, though, meaning he could come up against Barca on Wednesday.Ahead of the semi-final first leg of the Copa Clasico, Bartomeu discussed how Barca would approach trying to sign the Spain international."If our coaches asked us for a player and they want to leave Madrid, of course we would sign them," he told El Partidazo de COPE.
"But it has not happened since I'm here.

"There are no non-aggression pacts. Each one tries to make their team more competitive."Isco? For the sake of Real Madrid I would speak with the president of Real Madrid [Florentino Perez]."

 

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Schweinsteiger: Real Madrid were Bayern Munich's arch-rivals


Bastian Schweinsteiger says he fondly remembers battles with Bayern Munich's 'arch-rival' Real Madrid during his time with the Bundesliga champions.

Schweinsteiger and Bayern faced off with Real Madrid eight times during his time in Germany, with two of the four two-legged encounters coming in Champions League semi-finals.The two sides split the four total meetings, with Bayern edging the Spanish side in the 2007 last 16 and the 2012 semi-finals while Real Madrid took down Bayern in the 2004 lat16 before exacting revenge in 2014 with a lopsided semi-final win of their own.

Schweinsteiger says he relished battles with the Spanish side and recalls them as some of the most enjoyable of his career.

"Yes, we were their arch-rivals," Schweinsteiger told Marca. "People liked to see that rivalry between two greats and we respected each other a lot. We won and lost but I enjoyed playing in Madrid."The German midfielder, now playing for the Chicago Fire, says Angel Di Maria provided the most memorable performance in any of those clashes.

Following a 1-0 first leg win at home in the opening leg of the 2014 semi-final, Real Madrid went to Munich and crushed Bayern 4-0 to seal their spot in the final, where they saw off crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid.Di Maria provided two assists that day, and Schweinsteiger says it was a match that proved just how good that now-Paris Saint-Germain midfielder is on his day."I always appreciated the game of Angel Di Maria," he said. "I remember the semi-final we lost 4-0 at home. He was the best, so difficult to stop."

While Di Maria was a standout in his last duel between Bayern and Madrid, Schweinsteiger says an early clash was also memorable thanks to the presence and performance of Zinedine Zidane."I remember perfectly the first time, in 2003, at the Bernabeu. I came on in the second half and played against Zidane, who scored a good goal five minutes later. They won 1-0," he recalled.

"Playing against Zizou helped me a lot later because I watched how he moved and protected the ball. It was impossible to replicate it though, yet I did learn a lot from those things."Real Madrid and Bayern are both set for the knockout rounds of the Champions League this year, with Schweinsteiger saying that the two, along with Barcelona and Juventus, make up the favourites to win the title.Bayern are set to face Liverpool in their last 16 clash while Real Madrid will take on Ajax.

 

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Attempts under way to recover body from Sala plane wreckage


The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are attempting to recover the body found in the wreckage of the light aircraft that carried Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson.A search using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) located the plane on the seabed off Guernsey on Sunday."Tragically, in video footage from the ROV, one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage," a statement from AAIB read.

Following consultation with the families of Cardiff City striker Sala and pilot Ibbotson and police, it has been decided a recovery operation will be carried out.A spokesperson for AAIB said: "We are attempting to recover the body. If we are successful, we will consider the feasibility of recovering the aircraft wreckage.

"Strong tidal conditions mean we can only use the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for limited periods each day and this will mean that progress is slow."Regardless of the results, we will not be making a further statement until the families have been informed."

The Piper Malibu plane went missing over the English Channel on January 21, with Sala travelling to back to Cardiff after completing a club-record move from Ligue 1 club Nantes.An initial search and rescue effort was called off by Guernsey Police after three days on January 24.

Guernsey harbourmaster Captain David Barker called their chances of survival "extremely remote", but a number of high-profile football figures and members of the public answered the family's calls to fund a private search operation.

Following consultation with the families of Cardiff City striker Sala and pilot Ibbotson and police, it has been decided a recovery operation will be carried out.A spokesperson for AAIB said: "We are attempting to recover the body. If we are successful, we will consider the feasibility of recovering the aircraft wreckage.

"Strong tidal conditions mean we can only use the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for limited periods each day and this will mean that progress is slow."Regardless of the results, we will not be making a further statement until the families have been informed."

The Piper Malibu plane went missing over the English Channel on January 21, with Sala travelling to back to Cardiff after completing a club-record move from Ligue 1 club Nantes.An initial search and rescue effort was called off by Guernsey Police after three days on January 24.

Guernsey harbourmaster Captain David Barker called their chances of survival "extremely remote", but a number of high-profile football figures and members of the public answered the family's calls to fund a private search operation.

 

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Mourinho accepts 12-month prison sentence for tax fraud but will not serve jail time


Jose Mourinho has accepted a 12-month prison sentence and a fine of close to €2.2 million after admitting to tax fraud in Madrid - but will not serve time in jail.The 56-year-old was accused of evading paying in the region of €3.3m in taxes on image rights while he was head coach of Real Madrid.The Portuguese will not spend any time in prison as the sentence is for less than two years.

In 2016, Mourinho's representatives Gestifute released a statement insisting he was "fully compliant with tax obligations" after allegations of tax evasion first came to light via the whistleblowing platform 'Football Leaks’'However, he struck a deal with Spanish prosecutors last year, which was ratified at a court on Tuesday.

Mourinho was in charge of Madrid from 2010 until the end of the 2012-13 season. The offences were alleged to have been committed between 2011 and 2012.

It was reported last September that he had agreed to accept a one-year prison sentence and fine in order to bring the legal proceedings to an end.Speaking to reporters outside court in Pozuelo de Alarcon in November 2017, he said: "I did not answer, I did not argue. I paid and signed with the state that I am in compliance and the case is closed."

A number of prominent figures in football, including former Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo, his ex-team-mate Marcelo and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, have been punished for tax offences in the last two years.

 

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Guardiola claims Chelsea & Man Utd have joined Man City in title race


Manchester City's Premier League title defence will be challenged from multiple directions, according to Pep Guardiola – who claimed Manchester United and Chelsea could still be in the hunt.

City travel to Everton on Wednesday , for a fixture that has been moved forward due to their participation in the Carabao Cup final later this month, knowing victory will move them above leaders Liverpool on goal difference.Jurgen Klopp's team failed to capitalise on City's 2-1 loss at Newcastle United last week as they were held to back-to-back 1-1 draws with Leicester City and West Ham, while Guardiola's men returned to winning ways by seeing off Arsenal 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

That victory edged them two points ahead of Tottenham in third after the Londoners restated their own title claims with battling wins against Watford and Newcastle at Wembley.

But Guardiola feels the amount of points left to play for means other horses could enter the race – casting a particular glance across town to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's resurgent United."I never said Tottenham are not there," he told a pre-match news conference."I never put out [of the race] all five or six teams and United is making this run of victories every single week. They will be there to fight for the Premier League.

"We see the table and see the first two or three and say, 'they are able to be champions' and we don't look further than that. If Chelsea win games in a row they will be a contender too to win the Premier League."Everybody is there. The gap is not too big. With 39 points to play for, nine or 10 points behind is not too much. Seeing the Premier League now, everybody is ready to take points."

It amounts to the type of title battle the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach expected when he moved to England, stating City's 100-point season last time around is something of an outlier."I would say it is typical in England, this type of situation. What is not common is what happened last season – a team with 100 points and a lot of distance, 18 games winning," Guardiola said.

"Normal is what happens now. Every game is tough. You can win and lose every single game."Everybody is involved for all the chances to win all the titles, [qualify for] Europe, trying to stay in the Premier League."

In the case of Everton boss Marco Silva, the fight is to placate an increasingly restless fanbase and remain in a job.The Merseyside club have won three and lost seven of 12 Premier League games since the start of December and were booed by the Goodison Park crowd after Saturday's loss to Wolves.But Silva has the backing of his midweek opponent.

"The people do not know how difficult it is to create a team. The people believe I buy three or four players as a new manager and everything fits perfectly immediately," Guardiola added.

"Sometimes it takes time. My advice, if they believe in one project, if they believe in him, they have to move forward with him. No one can ensure the new manager is going to be better."It is difficult to create and to build something. You need time. It depends on them, whether they trust or not."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'These Man Utd players are conquerors!' - Ibrahimovic reveals advice he gave to Lindelof


Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been impressed by the development of Victor Lindelof and revealed how he explained to the defender that he needed to knuckle down and prove himself to ensure he succeeded at Manchester United.

The Red Devils spent big luring the highly-rated defender away from Benfica in the summer of 2017.An immediate return was expected on a £40 million ($52m) outlay, but Lindelof struggled to find his feet in English football during a debut campaign which delivered just 13 Premier League starts.

The 24-year-old has already taken in 20 this season and has been a reliable option for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during a 10-game unbeaten run for United’s interim boss.

Lindelof is considered to now be showing his true colours, with countryman and former Red Devils striker Ibrahimovic telling BetHard: "I think he had a difficult time in the beginning, but I think that is typical Swedish. When you come somewhere, you are friendly to everybody."You play, you don't play, you still feel in friendly situation.

"I explained to him, 'listen, all these players are conquerors. You're here to survive. You're not here to be friendly to everybody so you need to perform'."'If you don't perform, the club has no problems with selling [you], that's the way it is’."And I think he's been doing good lately. He's playing much more after a first year of struggling."

The enigmatic frontman added: "I think he has more confidence when he plays."Hopefully he can continue and be strong mentally because I don't think it's about the quality, it's more in the head."I've always said 50 per cent is in your head. It doesn't matter how good you are, if you can’t make it mentally, you will not survive."

With Lindelof proving that he can flourish under the brightest of spotlights at club level, Ibrahimovic is hoping that experience will aid the cause of the Sweden national side."From the national team, he is the only one playing for a big club, so he gets to feel what it’s all about," said a man now plying his trade in MLS with the LA Galaxy.

"That is what I've been through for 20 years. Not ‘normal’ clubs.It's not an easy world but now he gets to feel it."Hopefully, he can continue to focus and train like he does because he trains really good and he is professional."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Solskjaer: I wasn't ready for Cardiff fight but I know Man Utd's DNA


Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits he "wasn’t ready for that fight" at Cardiff, but believes he is thriving on his Premier League return because he knows "the DNA and identity of Manchester United".

The Norwegian first took on a coaching role in British football back in January 2014, when he took over the struggling Bluebirds.By September of that year he had been relieved of his duties, however, with relegation having been suffered and a slow start made to life in the Championship.

Solskjaer has since rebuilt his reputation back at Molde and been handed an emotional return to Old Trafford in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s dismissal.

He is yet to suffer a defeat through 10 fixtures and admits that he feels better suited to a position at a club he knows well from his playing days and one expected to compete at the opposite end of the table.Solskjaer told Sky Sports of his time at Cardiff: "It wasn’t the right decision, to be fair. But you live and you learn."

He added on how things have changed after taking the reins with United: "This is a completely different club and situation to come into."I know the culture and identity of the club and the playing style. Manchester United, of course, suits me a lot more than a club that struggles towards the bottom of the table."I wasn’t ready for that fight. I didn’t say I wasn’t ready for the Premier League. That's different.

"My belief is to trust players and to trust them to play the right way. To try to dominate teams, to try to win games the right way. To play the way that we do now with Manchester United."I should have flipped that mentality into a different one at a team that struggles against relegation if you know what I mean."

Solskjaer has helped to push United back into contention for a top-four finish this season, while there are further Champions League and FA Cup challenges to come.

"It is easier here because I know what the DNA and identity of Manchester United is and what a Manchester United player is," said the Treble-winning hero of the club’s past."It’s a winning identity. It’s a confident identity.

"We want to take risks. We want to go for the second, the third and the fourth goal because that’s just how we do things at Manchester United."If you can’t handle that then you are at the wrong club."Many have suggested that Solskjaer has put himself in a position to land a permanent role at United, but reports of interest in the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane continue to do the rounds ahead of a summer decision being made at Old Trafford.